Gonzalo Oviedo (indépendant) et Douglas Nakashima, UNESCO-Links
Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Agenda of International Conservation
Organizations and International Environmental Instruments
Draft outline
Background
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has become in the last few years part of the agenda of
the international conservation movement, particularly since the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) stated the need to “respect, maintain and preserve” the knowledge and practices
of “indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles”. However, there is wide
diversity in the conservation agenda on both policy and practice. Further, the conservation
agenda does not necessarily coincide with that of indigenous peoples’ organizations active in the
arena of international environmental policy making. This presentation will deal with these issues,
and will highlight relevant aspects of the way TEK figures in international environmental
instruments.
Contents
1. Policies on indigenous peoples in the conservation agenda of major international NGOs
(WWF, IUCN, Greenpeace, WRI, TNC, CI)
2. Policy and practice on TEK issues in major international conservation organizations’ agenda:
some illustrations
3. TEK in the political agenda of indigenous peoples’ organizations
4. TEK in the agenda of international environmental instruments and inter-governmental
agencies
5. Issues and challenges of the integration of TEK in the biodiversity conservation agenda